Book Description

“I think he’s going to kill me.”

A frantic phone call from her estranged sister sends Jesse Peña rushing home to Brownsville, Texas, only to find that Alicia –seven months pregnant– has vanished. Jesse is convinced her brother-in-law, Marcus Vega, is a killer but getting the police to listen isn’t easy, especially when Marcus announces that Jesse and her sister are borderline schizophrenic.

Detective Michael Cisneros is reluctant to believe Jesse's allegation. After all, Marcus Vega is a prominent citizen with a tight alibi, and this isn’t the first time she’s charged him with murder. When Michael is accused of allowing a personal relationship with her to cloud his judgment, he is forced to accept what Jesse cannot--Marcus Vega is innocent. Jesse’s refusal to give up will risk more than her life, it will test her sanity as well.

A frantic phone call from her estranged sister sends Jesse Peña rushing home to Brownsville, Texas, only to find that Alicia –seven months pregnant– has vanished. Jesse is convinced her brother-in-law, Marcus Vega, is a killer but getting the police to listen isn’t easy, especially when Marcus announces that Jesse and her sister are borderline schizophrenic.

Detective Michael Cisneros is reluctant to believe Jesse's allegation. After all, Marcus Vega is a prominent citizen with a tight alibi, and this isn’t the first time she’s charged him with murder. When Michael is accused of allowing a personal relationship with her to cloud his judgment, he is forced to accept what Jesse cannot--Marcus Vega is innocent. Jesse’s refusal to give up will risk more than her life, it will test her sanity as well.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Terri Molina is a native Texan, born and raised in Southeast Texas. She is an active member of the Romance Writers of America including the Northwest Houston Chapter and Desert Rose Chapter in Phoenix, Arizona. She writes multicultural romantic suspense, blending in the flavor of the Southwest with her Mexican heritage. After years of living a nomadic life with her Coast Guard husband, she now resides in Southeast Arizona with her husband, four children and two dogs. When she’s not writing she enjoys reading, singing karaoke with the kids and spending time with family and friends. To learn more visit her at www.terrimolina.com

HOUSE of CARDS had me from the first line. This novel displays a wonderful mixture of suspense, mystery and action when Jesse begins her search for her, knowing in her heart something is wrong.Having a fractured past she arrives in the home town she left long ago to try and find her sister--will anyone believe her when she accuses her sister's husband of murder? You won't go wrong reading this as it will keep you on the edge of your seat.

"Terri Molina's HOUSE OF CARDS is precisely that; an intricately balanced structure with thrills, a mystery at the center that holds it all together, and a touch of romance just enough to make you want to see the two leads to end up together! Settle in for a long night and turn the phone off when you start this one."

This is one of those books that you wish were actually longer than it is just so you have more time with these characters. A wonderful read, full of life and energy...was very sad to finish it but VERY glad I read it!!

What a read! House of Cards is a delicate tale filled with thrills, mystery and more. The book unfolds a tale of mystery and suspense, and I loved every word of it. House of Cards really will keep you guessing until the end. You surely won't be disappointed!

"Her hand tightened around the phone, pinching her skin against the hard plastic. "Alicia? It's Jesse! Are you there? Oh God, please answer."

"Oh, God, don't let that be blood."

"You can't let him hurt my baby."

These are some of the lines that created the intense moments in my mind as I read. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Thank you for writing this story!

Posted on Romancing the Books blogReviewed by MariaReview Copy from a Contest Win

This is one successful thriller because it kept my adrenaline pumping like nothing else. That razor edge of danger was always present, that sense of not knowing quite what was coming next. The prickles up the spine, you know what I mean. I have to admit, I quite like to be scared when I read a book, provided I'm reading in a safe environment. This thriller did the job. Admirably.

As the blurb says, the opening hook will have you on high alert from page one. Jessica Pena has noticed a recurrence of the nightmares which had plagued her for years - the nightmare in which she relives the unspeakable road disaster - she's never called it an accident - in which her parents died and from which she barely escaped with her life. That event which changed her life forever, after which all she had left in the world was her elder sister Alicia. Which would have been fine except for the fact that Alicia married the sinister and unreadable Marcus Vega. Vega, the villain of the piece, who drove the two sisters apart. A sudden, frantic message from Alicia on her answering machine after a seven year silence has Jessica running back to the town on the Mexican border where she grew up. The trouble is, Alicia has disappeared. Vega, plausible as ever, says that his wife left home after an argument to stay with friends, as she often does. He doesn't doubt she'll be back. Jessica smells a mega rat, Especially when most of Alicia's friends say they haven't spoken to her in months. Vega eventually reports his wife as missing, playing the grieving husband role to the hilt.

The local police officer handling the missing persons inquiry for Alicia is Michael Cisneros, the son of an old family friend. It isn't long before an attraction between Michael and Jessica begins to manifest itself. The pair have to fight that attraction though, because a hint of personal interest in the case will have Michael - a textbook police officer with an impeccable record - and his integrity called into question. And this is what the slippery Vega will use to his advantage.

I enjoyed these characters a whole lot. Michael is a good guy, with a job to do, a job which often keeps him away from his close-knit Mexican family a lot more than he'd like. Michael is drawn to Jessica (Jesse), who seems to have the knack of bringing out his protective instincts. Jesse's a fireball, who doesn't hesitate to punch the face off Vega if he gets in hers. She's taken too much torment from this man for too long and enough is enough. Michael's dad, Jesse's late father's friend and her old high school teacher is an adorable father figure who is one of the safe havens in the story. The moment he appears on the page, you kind of feel everything is going to be okay. Vega, the villain, exudes just the right amount of slippery plausibility and just-concealed menace. The story doesn't miss a beat - the twists and turns will have you turning the pages and you'll give a happy sigh when the wrap up comes around - now Michael and Jesse's love story can begin. Too bad we won't be around to see much of it, though. But the predictions and indications are good.

I particularly enjoyed reading a novel set in the Hispanic community and liked what I saw - the colorful dialogue, peppered with Spanish phrases, the strong family bonds, the strength of kinship. It has never occurred to me that the dangers of living in border towns are quite so plentiful. The way crimes can be committed and perpetrators can just disappear across the border, where the police system in whose area they have transgressed have no jurisdiction. How the different cultural values on either side of the border division makes it so difficult for both police forces to find a middle ground and areas of cooperation. I now understand that border security is quite an issue. So this novel has had the effect of increasing my awareness. Well done to the author, that's quite a job.

Favorite Quote: Jesse froze as her sister's voice rushed from the machine. The room closed around her, taking the air with it. The glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor. The wine spilling like blood onto the tile.

I enjoyed this 23 chapter book. It went back and forth between Jesse and Detective Michael's third person point-of-view. How would you feel if you knew a crime was committed but you couldn't prove it? I'd go crazy. I admired that Jesse didn't give up trying to search for her sister Alicia. And that she didn't give up believing that her parents were murdered. I liked that the main character was strong and took matters into her own hands when the police force wanted to stick a cold case label on the alleged crime.

I liked the backstory that Jesse and Michael knew of each other when they were younger. I always like to see how people's relationships develop after rekindling. It offered good inner conflict scenes for Michael. Following protocol, he couldn't do whatever he wanted without evidence. He had a precinct he had to answer to. However, he didn't want to let Jesse down.

Marcus was Alicia's husband, and let me tell ya, he was a true villain. He made my skin crawl (in a good way). He had the right charisma and good boy image to get away with crimes. I thought the scenes where he terrorized Jesse by playing mind games with her was very interesting. From the beginning, I got a sense of how the story was going to go, so it wasn't really a mystery for me. Instead, it was suspenseful (as in trying to determine when the characters will wise up so they can protect themselves).

The author had a brilliant talent with dialogue. The conversations were really realistic and her dialogue beats helped enhance the vision of how the characters interacted with each other. There were a lot of disagreements that I loved. I really felt bad for Jesse because she'd been dealing with trauma for 12 years, without anyone listening to her. I could picture this novel as a Lifetime movie.

More About the Author

Terri Molina is a native Texan, born and raised in Southeast Texas. She is an active member of the Romance Writers of America, including the Northwest Houston Chapter and Desert Rose Chapter in Phoenix, Arizona. She writes multicultural romantic suspense, blending in the flavor of the Southwest with her Mexican heritage. After years of living a nomadic life with her Coast Guard husband, she now resides in Southeast Arizona with her husband, four children and a dog. When she's not writing she enjoys reading, singing karaoke with the kids, and spending time with family and friends.